Cabinet sleeve-pressing machine



Dec. 20, 1955 L. N. STRIKE 2,727,661

v CABIENT SLEEVE-PRESSING MACHINE Filed July 23, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l lhwentor Gttorneg Dec. 20, 1955 N. STRIKE 2,727,661

CABIENT SLEEVE-PRESSING MACHINE Filed July 23, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Snnentor (Ittorneu United States Patent CABINET SLEEVE-PRESSING MACHINE Louis N. Strike, Salt Lake City, Utah Application July 23, 1953, Serial No. 369,915

10 Claims. (Cl. 223-73) This invention relates to machines to press the sleeves of garments and, more particularly, the sleeves of shirts, and contemplates a machine to simultaneously press both sleeves of a garment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sleevepressing machine that embodies a pair of side-by-side bucks on which the sleeves to be pressed are adapted to be mounted, pressing-platen means toward which the sleeve-mounted bucks are adapted to be moved and with which they are operatively engaged, and includes novel and improved means to adjust or shift the pressing-platen means longitudinally relative to the bucks so that, regardless of the length of the sleeves on the bucks, only the sleeves and no other portion of the garment is subject to ironing or pressing pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sleevepressing machine in which the sleeve-mounting bucks are tiltable from a dressing position handy to the operator to a pressing position between the pressing-platen means, and to visually associate with the bucks, while in dressing position, means, manually controlled by the operator, to adjust the pressing-platen means longitudinally according to the position of the armhole ends of the sleeves on the bucks.

A further object of the invention is to provide sleeve bucks having expander means to tauten the sleeves on the bucks to, thereby, remove wrinkles and folds in the sleeves, and to provide simple and improved means, controlled by the operator, to extend and retract said expander means, as desired.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the fol lowing description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only. i

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a sleeve-pressing machine according to the present invention, a side of the housing thereof being removed to expose the machine.

mechanism, and said machine. being shown with the sleeve bucks thereof in dressing position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine, as in Fig. 1, as viewed in the direction of arrow 2, the upper portion of the housing being removed.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view as taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with the sleeve bucks moved to pressing position and before the pressing-platen means are closed over said bucks to press sleeves mounted on] the bucks.

Fig. '4 is a fragmentary front sectional view ofthe machine as taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view as taken on the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the sleeve bucks in pressing engagement with the pressingplaten means operatively associated therewith.

The sleeve-pressing machine that is illustrated comprises, generally, a housing 10, sleeve-buck means 11 low front wall 16, a combined rear and top wall 17 and an upper front panel 18 that is provided with suitablyshaped openings to accommodate the sleeve-buck means 11 while moving between dressing and pressing positions. As shown, said housing is supported on a fabricated base frame 19 of any suitable form.

The sleeve-buck means 11 comprises a frame 20 that is essentially composed of transversely spaced elongated arms 21 connected by a transverse member 22 and each provided at its lower end with a hub 23 in pivotal engagement with a bearing bracket 24 on base frame 19. The pivots 25 thus provided mount frame 20 for front to back movement in housing 10. Frame 20 further includes a rearwardly extending bracket 26 afiixed to each arm 21, and a transverse member 27 aflixed to said brackets.

The means 11 also includes a generally rectangular tray 28 arranged normally to frame arms 21 and through which said arms extend. Bracket members 29 serve to connect said tray to arms 21 and the same, therefore, constitute a part of and move with frame 20. As before mentioned, the front of housing 10 is provided with a suitable opening in and through which tray 28 moves, the latter being of such size as to conveniently support the body 30 of a shirt, the sleeves 31 of which are to be pressed by the machine.

On the upper end of each frame arm 21, there is provided an upwardly-extending sleeve buck 32. As shown, each buck comprises an elongated generally oval-shaped metal form 33 of uniform cross-section that is affixed to a base plate 34 on the upper end of each respective arm 21,

' and a covering pad 35 around the outer surface of said form. For reasons later explained, each form 33 is longitudinally open at its front 36. As can be seen from the drawings, the long dimension of the oval-sectioned form extends in a fr0nt-to-back direction. The upper end of each form 33 mounts a cuff clamp. 37 of generally conventional design.

As seen in Fig. 5, each clamp 37 is adapted to clamp the cuff 38 of each respective sleeve 31 in substantially one position as controlled by a shoulder 39 that is defined between the padded form 33 and the sleeve clamp. Since all sleeves will be gauged in the same way, said shoulder serves as a reference relative to which the armhole end 40 of the sleeve will be disposed. Said end 59 will extend nearer the lower end of the buck for longer sleeves than for sleeves that are shorter. Since shoulder 39 is fixed, the position of the armhole 40 of a sleeve can then be used as a gauge or reference to guide the adjustment of the means 14 employed to adjust the pressing-platen means 13.

The interiors of forms 33 are hollow and, while not shown, it willbeunderstood that the same maybe pro-' ner, preferably through connections made to base plates 34. The heating of the bucks may, of course, be eifected by electrical means, if desired.

The means 12 to move the buck means 11 on its pivot 25 is shown as an air cylinder 41 mounted at one end on a pivot 42 carried by a front cross member 43 of the housing, and a stem 44 that projects from the other end of said cylinder and engages transverse member 27 carried by the buck-mounting frame 20. Said stem, of course, extends from a piston within said cylinder and is projected by admission of compressed air into said cylinder at pipe 45. The specific means to conduct air to pipe 42 is not important to the present invention and it will be understood that the same may be accomplished in wellknown ways and preferably controlled by a valve 46 located on the means 14 and, therefore, handy to the operator.

The stem 44 projects against the force of a pair of springs 47 connected between members 27 and 43, said springs stretching as the stem is projected to store energy therein that is effective to return the buck means 11 to the dressing position after the same has been moved to pressing position by compressed air. Since springs 47 are freeacting when they contract, in order to avoid a too sudden return of the means 11 to dressing position, the action of said springs may be snubbed by a shock-absorber 48 that, by suitable linkage 49, is connected to frame 20 substantially in the manner shown.

In order that sleeves of different cross-sectional size may be mounted on bucks 32 and to facilitate such mounting, said bucks are preferably of relatively small crosssectional form and are each provided with an expander 59 and with means 51 to project and retract the expander, as desired.

The expander 50 preferably comprises a flat elongated plate 52 that extends longitudinally in the hollow of each buck form 33 and projects through the open front 36 thereof. Said expander plate 52 is preferably tapered to be smaller at its upper end than at its lower end, the outer edge 53, thereby, being at an angle to the forward edge of the form in keeping with the conventional tapered form of a sleeve 31.

Each expander plate 52 is carried by a clip 54 on the upper end of a flexible rod 55 that extends through an opening provided in base plate 34 and is pivotally carried by a clip 56 immediately below and adjacent said base plate. The lower end of rod 55 extends downwardly through tray 28 and, by means of a spring 57, said latter end of the rod is resiliently pulled toward frame 20 to cause the upper end to retract toward the rear of the buck form and, thereby, retract the expander plate 52 accordingly. Such retracted position of the expander plate is shown in Fig. 1 wherein the lower wider portion of said plate extends outwardly of the form a minimum amount and, because of the taper of said plate, the upper portion resides entirely within the form. a

The expanders 50 are projected to the position of Figs. and 6 by means 51, which is shown as comprising an air cylinder 58 carried by cross member 22 of frame 20 on a pivot 59, a stem 60 projected by compressed air introduced through pipe 61 into said cylinder, a transverse shaft 62 carried by the upper end of stem 60, a pair of preferably grooved rollers 63 on the ends of said shaft, and a pair of arms 64, pivoted at 65 to arms 21 of frame 2!) and having their free ends connected to shaft 62. The lower ends of rods 55 are engaged in the grooves of rollers 63 so that, when stem 60 is extended, and arms 64 rock on their pivots 65, said rollers flex said lower portions of rods 55 in a direction to cause the upper ends of said rods to move forwardly and, thereby, project expander plates to the position of Figs. 5 and 6. Because clips 54 have pivotal connection 66 with the expander plates, the latter are free to assume positions according to the taper and size of the sleeves 31 mounted on the buck forms. Since rods 55 are flexible, the projecting movement of stem 60 is not critical because said rods may absorb in flexure any excess movement of stem 60 after the sleeves have arrested the projecting movement of the expander plates.

In the present instance, projection of the expanders 50 is initiated by a foot pedal 67 that is pivoted at 68 on base frame 19, and includes a piston valve 69 on a bracket 70 affixed to housing member 43 and controlled by said pedal through a rod 71 and a hinged member 72 that are moved by said pedal to open said valve. While the conventional connections between valve 69 and cylinder 58 are omitted, it will be understood that said valve controls admission of compressed air to said cylinder and that said air will project stem 60 to cause outward movement of expanders 50. A valve 73 similar to valve 69 is also connected to cylinder 58 in a conventional manner to exhaust the air therein to allow the tension stored up in rods 55 to cause retraction of stem 60 and, therefore, retraction of the expanders. In this case, valve 73 is located adjacent valve 46 so that the operator has easy access thereto.

The pressing-platen means 13 is disposed at the angle that is assumed by the sleeve buck means 11 when the latter is moved by themeans 12 to pressing position through the openings provided in the front wall of housing 10. Said means 13 comprises, generally, mounting means 74, a transverse carriage 75 movable on the mounting means in a longitudinal direction, two pair of pressingplaten means 76, one for each buck 32, carried by the carriage, spring means 77 normally holding the platens of the platen means apart and means '73 for each said pair, to move the platens to pressing engagement over the bucks 32.

The mounting means 74 is shown as a pair of guide rods 79 carried at their ends by brackets 80 that are affixed to the side walls 15 of housing 10. These rods, of course, are disposed at the mentioned angle that is assumed by the buck means 11, but are rearward of the position of said buck means when in pressing position.

The carriage 75 comprises a pair of plates 81, one on each side of each shaft 79, tracking rollers 82 residing between the plates of each said pair and in rolling engagement with each respective rod 79, and transverse spaced members 83 that connect the two pairs of roller-carrying plates. In this manner, a carriage that is movable along guide rods 79 is provided and it will be seen that the path of travel of said carriage is along the angle of disposition of rods 79.

Each pair of pressing-platen means 76 comprises a pair of lever arms 84 on a common pivot 85 in carriage 75, said arms residing between members 83 of the carriage, and the pivot 85 being anchored in said members. These arms, therefore, are transverse to the path of movement of the carriage and are pivotal in a plane transverse to such movement. Each lever arm 84 has a forwardly extending portion 86 and a rearwardly extending portion 87.

The forward portions 36 of each pair of arms 76 cooperate to mount a pair of pressing platens 88 that are of generally elongated form and are hingedly connected at their rear edges at 89. The connection 89 between each arm portion 86 and each respective platen affords a degree of articulation that enables the arm portions to move together and apart to swing the pairs of pressing platens 88 on their pivots between closed pressing engagement with a sleeve buck positioned therebetween, and an open position to admit or release such sleeve buck, as the case may be.

Each pair of platens 88 is formed at the portions 90 to conform to and fit over the oval shape of padded buck form 33, and at the flat portions 91 to fit against the expander 50. Thus, it will be seen that a pair of sleeves 31 mounted on the bucks 32, when positioned between platens 88 and said platens are closed thereover, will be pressed, as shown best in Fig. 6.

The platens 88 may be heated in any conventional manner. As shown, the same are provided with steam-conducting passages 92 so that the heat thereof cooperates with the heated bucks to effect the mentioned sleevepressing operation.

The rearward portions 87 of each pair of arms 76 are normally urged together by a spring means 77 that connects said portions, thereby normally spreading the platens 88 to the open condition shown in Fig. 3. To close said platens over the sleeve buck, the means 78 is employed, the same comprising an air cylinder 93 having a projecting and retracting stem 94 and arranged between each pair of arm portions 87 to counteract the force of springs 77 and close the platens when compressed air is admitted to said cylinders so as to project the stems thereof. Any conventional control may be provided to, selectively, admit air to cylinders 93 and release such air to allow the springs 77 to become effective.

Inasmuch as the carriage 75, arms 76 and platens 88 are movable on track shafts 79, it is preferred to counterbalance the weight of these components by a pair of springs 95 that are anchored in the upper brackets 80 and are connected to the ends of a cross rod 96 carried by straps 97 extending downward from the lower member 83 of carriage 75. Such counterbalancing enables setting the means 13 where desired with minimum effort applied by the operator to the means employed to effect such setting so that the-lower edges 88a of platens 88 may be aligned with the armhole ends 40 of sleeves 31 wherever said sleeve ends may fall.

The machine is provided with stops 98 located between the two pairs of pressing platens to limit. the open position of pairs of arms 84 by engagement therewith by the inner of said pairs of arms. In this manner, general alignment of the pressing platens 88, when open, is maintained with respect to the path of movement of the bucks 32.

The platen-adjusting means 14 comprises a pair of spaced guide blocks 99 carried by one plate 81 of the pair thereof on one side of the machine, a roller 100 in the space between said blocks and carried on the end of an arm 101 of a bellcrank lever 102 that is pivoted at 103 on one side 15 of the machine frame, a link 104 connected to the other arm 105 of lever 2, and a second bellcrank lever 106 pivoted on the machine frame at 107 and having an arm 108 connected to link 104 and a substantially longer arm 109 that extends forwardly and gener ally horizontally through the front wall of the machine frame and is provided with a handle 110.

The levers 102 nad 106, the link 104, and the pivots 103 and 107 are so arranged that a downward movement applied by the operator to handle 110 results in a downward movement of the roller 100 and, therefore, a downward adjustment of carriage 75 and the platens 88 carried thereby. Conversely, an upward movement of handle 110 results in an upward adjustment of the platens.

Lever arm 109, after the same passes through the front frame wall, is bent at 111 in a direction toward the buck 32 that is adjacent so that the operator may have a visual relationship between said arm 109 and the armhole end 40 of the sleeve 39 on said buck. Consequently, after bucks 32 are dressed, and the pedal 67 has been depressed to cause expanders 50 to be projected, the operator, by aligning arm 109 with said sleeve end 40, will adjust the longitudinal position of the pressing platens 88so that they willbe engaged only with the sleeves when the bucks are moved to pressing position and the platens are closed thereover.

By mounting valves 46 and 73 on arm 109 and adjacent to handle 110, the operator can conveniently control said valves from his position at the front of the machine.

The operation is relatively simple. After bucks 32 are dressed, the operator steps on pedal 67 to project the sleeve expauders. If correction of the positions of the sleeves is necessary, he may press valve 73 to retract the expanders and, after correction of the sleeve positions, again step on pedal 67 t9 re-project the expanders.

With the sleeves in tautened conditions and firmly held on the bucks by the expanders, the sleeve ends 40 have definite location. Now, by aligning an arm portion 111 with the adjacent sleeve end, the platens are longitudinally adjusted so that lower edges 88a thereof are adjusted accordingly. The counterbalancing springs 95 will maintain the adjustment.

Thereafter, the operator opens valve 46 to cause rearward movement of the buck means 11 to the position of Fig. 3. When said means reaches this position, any portion thereof may operate a valve 112 to admit compressed air into both cylinders 93 simultaneously and, thereby, close the pressing platens over the dressed bucks as in Fig. 2. This pressing position is maintained until valve 112 is vented to bleed the air from cylinders 93 and allow springs 77 to open the platens and cylinder 41 is vented to allow springs 47 to return the buck means 11 to dressing;

position. Such venting may be accomplished inconventional ways, either manually or by time-controlling means.

Finally, by pressing valve 73, the expanders are retracted so that upon release of the cuff clamps 37, the pressed sleeves may be removed from the bucks 32.

While I have illustrated and described what I now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sleeve-pressing machine comprising pressingplaten means, a carriage mounting said means, sleeve-buck means having longitudinal bucks thereon and'normally radially spaced from the pressing-platen means, said sleeve-buck means and bucks having fixed length arms mounted on a common axis, means controlled by an operator and connected to the carriage to raise or lower said carriage and the pressing-platen means thereon, the operator-controlled means being provided with a member positionable into a predetermined relationship with respect to the armhole end of one sleeve of a garment mounted on said bucks to produce a corresponding amount of lowering or raising of the pressing-platen means, and means to move the buck means to bring the bucks thereof into pressing engagement with the platen means.

2. A sleeve-pressing machine comprising pressingplaten means, a carriage mounting said means, sleevebuck means having longitudinal bucks thereon and normally spaced from the pressing-platen means, means controlled by an operator and connected to the carriage to raise or lower said carriage and the pressing-platen means thereon, the operator-controlled means being provided with a member positionable into a predetermined relationship with respect to the armhole end of one sleeve of a garment mounted on said bucks to produce a corresponding amount of lowering or raising of the pressing-platen means, means to move the buck means to bring the bucks thereof into pressing engagement with the platen means,

and means controlled by the buck means to close the pressing-platen means over the bucks.

3 In a sleeve-pressing machine, pressing-platen means provided with normally-spread longitudinal pressing platens, carriage means mounting the platen means, said .carriage means having means for sliding said carriage means along a path parallel to the longitudinal axes of said platens for adjusting the elevation of said platens, sleeve-buck means provided with longitudinal sleeve bucks to mount the sleeves of a garment, said sleeve-buck means having fixed length arms, means on said bucks to locate the cuff ends of said sleeves so that the armhole ends of sleeves of different lengths terminate at different levels of the sleeve bucks, operator-controlled means connected to said carriage means to adjust the elevation of said platen means, said operator-controlled means being provided with a member positionable at the level of an armhole on said bucks to produce a corresponding adjustment in the elevation of the pressing-platen means, means to move the buck means to bring the bucks thereof into position between the spread platens, and means to close the platens around the bucks to press the sleeves thereon.

4. In a sleeve-pressing machine according to claim 3: said latter means being controlled by the buck means when the same reaches the mentioned moved position.

5. In a sleeve-pressing machine, a pair of longitudinal hingedly connected and normally open pressing platens, carriage means mounting said pair of platens for longitudinal adjustment, a longitudinal sleeve buck normally positioned remote from and in line with the open pressing platens and adapted to mount a sleeve with the cuff thereof in predetermined position and the armhole end of said sleeve terminating at an intermediate point of the buck according to the length of the sleeve, operator-controlled adjusting means connected to said carriage means and provided with a member positionable at the level of an armhole on said bucks to produce a corresponding adjustment in the elevation of said platens with respect to said armhole end of the sleeve for producing an elevational adjustment of the platens in conformance with the length of said sleeve, means to move the sleeve-mounted buck between the open platens, and means to close said platens around the buck.

6. In a sleeve press according to claim 5: a pivot on which the buck moves between remote and pressing positions, and said pivot being located where the longitudinal centers of the buck and pair of platens intersect.

7. In a sleeve-pressing machine for pressing a sleeve throughout its length and up to an armhole of said sleeve,

said machine including a frame, a fixed axis at the lower end of said frame, a pair of fixed length arms rotatably mounted on said axis, sleeve-buck means provided with longitudinal sleeve bucks to mount the sleeves of a garment so that the armhole ends of sleeves of different lengths terminate at different levels of the sleeve bucks, said sleeve-buck means being fixedly mounted respectively on said arms, a pair of pressing-platen means for each sleeve buck on the rear of said frame radially spaced with respect to said axis, track means on the rear of said frame fixedly mounted on said frame and lying in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axes of said platen means, a carriage means slidably mounted on said track means, said platen means being mounted on said carriage means for lowering and raising said platen means and the lower ends of said platen means, operator-controlled lever means coupled to said platen means for lowering or raising said platen means, said lever means having a member positionable at a level of the armhole end of one sleeve of a garment mounted on said buck to match the positions of the lower ends of said platen means with the positions of the armholes on said sleeve bucks prior to a pressing engagement between said platen means and said sleeve bucks, and means to rotate said bucks around said axis for obtaining a pressing engagement with the platen means only after positioning of said member at the level of the armhole on said buck, whereby each sleeve is pressed throughout its length but only up to its respective armhole.

8. In a sleeve-pressing machine, a pair of sleeve-buck means provided with longitudinal sleeve bucks to mount the sleeves and the armholes of said sleeves on said bucks,

said sleeve bucks having fixed length arms lying in a common plane rotatable around a common axis, a pair of pressing-platen means, means to rotate said arms around said axis to bring the bucks into pressing engagement with the platen means, said platen means having parallel longitudinal axes lying in a single plane parallel to said common plane when said bucks are in pressing engagement with the platen means, track means parallel to said longitudinal axes, a carriage means mounted on said track means and acting as a support for said platen means, operator-contro'lled means coupled to said platen means and having a member alignable with the position of the armhole end of one sleeve for adjusting the position of said platen means on said track and with respect to said bucks to make said pressing engagement extend only through the length of each sleeve and to terminate at the armhole of said sleeve. I

9. In a sleeve-pressing machine for pressing a sleeve throughout its length and up to an armhole of said sleeve, said machine including a frame, a pair of upright bucks having a generally vertical mounting on said frame, said mounting including a fixed length arm for each buck, said buck being fixedly mounted on said arm, a common axis for the arms, a pair of pressing-platen means for each buck on the rear of said frame radially spaced with respect to said axis, track means having a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axes of said platen means, a carriage means slidably mounted on said track means, said platen means being fixedly mounted on said carriage means for adjusting the level of said platen means on said track means by sliding said carriage means on said track means, means for rotating said arms around said axis to bring the bucks into pressing engagement with the respective platen means, and operator-controlled lever means coupled to said carriage means for adjusting the level of said platen means with respect to said bucks prior to said pressing engagement, whereby said pressing engagement extends only through the length of each sleeve and terminates at said armhole.

10. In a sleeve-pressing machine, a pair of pressingplaten means having parallel longitudinal axes, track means parallel to said axes, a carriage means mounted on said track means and acting as a support for said platen means, a pair of sleeve-buck means provided with longitudinal sleeve bucks to mount the sleeves and the armholes of said sleeves on said bucks, said platen means being fixedly mounted on said carriage means for adjusting the level of said platen means on said track means by sliding said carriage means on said track means, operator-controlled means coupled to said platen means on said track for adjusting the position of said platen means on said track, said operator-controlled means being provided with a member positionable into a predetermined relationship with respect to the armhole end of one sleeve to align the longitudinal position of said pressing platens with the length of said sleeves, and means to move the buck means to bring the bucks thereof into pressing engagement with the platen means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,990 Leef June 9, 1942 2,629,522 MeLagan Feb. 24, 1953 2,687,241 Maxwell et al Aug. 24, 1954 

